Oklahoma City Celebrates Bike To Work Day With First Protected Bike Lanes In Expanding Network

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

September 24, 2020

Oklahoma City is celebrating Bike to Work Day on Friday, and cyclists can enjoy the ride in a protected bike lane for the first time.

This month, crews are installing the first stretch of Oklahoma City’s first protected bike lanes on General Pershing Boulevard west of downtown. Upright, white plastic delineators along the right-hand side of the recently resurfaced road (both east and west bound) separate the bike lane from vehicle traffic.

“We’ve been excited about Oklahoma City’s first protected bike lanes for a long time, and the timing couldn’t be better with Bike to Work Day,” said Planning Director Geoffrey Butler. “We’re well on our way to building a connected network that makes active transportation easier. We’ve got about 50 miles in funded on-street bike projects already in the works, with about $20 million more to come with MAPS 4.”

When installation and striping is complete, the bike lanes along General Pershing and Main Street will eventually extend from May Avenue to Lee Avenue. Bright, green paint helps drivers more clearly see key stretches of the bike lane without vertical delineators, like at EMBARK bus stops and intersections.

The bike lane connects to the Will Rogers Trail at May Avenue, a major north-south cycling corridor that runs from the Oklahoma River Trails to the Bert Cooper Trails at Lake Hefner. Learn more about the OKC Parks trails system at okc.gov/parks.

The protected bike lane is part of the planned network included in bikewalkokc, the City’s master plan for cyclists and pedestrians. bikewalkokc includes plans for on-street bike amenities, neighborhood greenways, regional recreation trails and more. See the full plan at okc.gov/bikewalkokc.

Resurfacing work under way on Walker Avenue from Reno Avenue to SW Grand Boulevard will include another protected bike lane, connecting downtown to south OKC.

The Better Streets, Safer City program funds most of the currently funded bikewalkokc projects. See all of the funded projects on the interactive map and lists at okc.gov/BetterSafer.

MAPS 4 includes $20 million for more bike projects using guidance from bikewalkokc, and $8 million for trail projects. Read more at okc.gov/maps4.

Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day are normally celebrated during National Bike Month in May, but they were rescheduled for September because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bike to Work Day is a good opportunity to try your commute on a bike. You can learn more about Bike to Work Day in Central Oklahoma on the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) website at acogok.org/btwday2020.

ACOG’s partner, the Oklahoma Bicycle Society, maintains a map of trails, bike lanes and bike routes in central Oklahoma on its website at okcbike.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.